Improved fruit-gatherer



J. A. LITTLE.

Fruit-Gatherer.

No. 46,916. Patented Mar. 21. 1865.

' N4 PETERS, PHQTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

, head or piece B, which is attached to the end fruit may hang, andhaving placed them in a U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. LITTLE, OF DANVILLE, INDIANA.

IMPROVED FRUlT-GATHERER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,916, dated March 21,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. LITTLE, of Dauville, in the county ofHendricks and State of Indiana, have invented a new and ImprovedFruit-Gatherer; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, which makes a part of this specificttion, and represents aperspective view of my improved fruit-gatherer.

This invention consists in a device having a series of fingers or teeth,similar to those of a rake, disposed in the are of a circle, and havinga knife and conductor or spout wherein the fruit falls on being pulled,and in which it may be allowed to lodge until the spout hecomes full, orconducted to a point where it can be conveniently taken out by the handof the person using the gatherer.

The invention further consists in the employment, in connection with theparts above alluded to, of an extensible rod, permitting the device tobe lengthened to suit trees of various heights.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay be enabled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed todescribe its construction and operation.

A A represent a series of fingers or teeth, disposed in the circularform shown, upon the of the section 0 of the extensible rod (J G.

D is a knife fixed to the fingers A in any suitable manner, and employedin connection therewith to detach the fruit from the tree.

E represents a spout or conductor with its mouth held in an opencondition by means of a metallic strip or retainer, G, which may bebraced by the angular knife F F, which is designed to give a draw out tothe stems of the fruit, and thus facilitating its detachment.

The operator or person gathering the fruit is enabled, by means of theextensible rod 0 O, to raise the fingers A to any point where theposition to surround or circumscribe the fruit he rakes it into thespout or pocket E, making I use of the knives D and F whenever it may hefound to facilitate the operation.

A nut-screw, H, serves to adjust or retain the sections of the rod 0 Oin any position they may be made to occupy relatively to each other. Thesections 0 O are provided with guides c c to cause them to move upon andin line with each other during the extending or shortening of the rod.

The pocket E is attached near its lower end to a sliding holder, I, downto which the fruit may be allowed to descend in the pocket when the rodis in its most extended condition; but when the rod is shortened inlength the fruit in the pocketmight interfere with the hold of theoperator upon the section 0, and, moreover, the fruit could not be soconveniently taken out. I therefore propose to use a cord, 6, to tie thepocket E ata suitable point above the holder I, and thus intercept thefruit in its descent, so that it may be taken out or the pocket throughthe opening e, instead of through the lower'opening, 0 ,0111; of whichlatter the fruit is taken when the rod is extended.

The manner of using the device is so practically obvious that I will notattempt to give a more extended description.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The raking device A B, employed substantially in the manner and forthe purpose herei-n explained.

2. The knives D F, employed as accessories to the fingers A in detachingthe fruit, as set forth. a

3. The extensible rod 0 C, in connection with the fruit-gatherer, asdescribed, to adapt the device for gathering fruit from difi'erentheights.

To the above specification of my improvement in fruit-gatherers I havesigned my name this 16th day of January, 1865. y

' J. A. LITTLE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, ALEXR. A. O. KLAUCKE.

